Chapter 214: The Arrival of a New Era
Upon hearing Uchiha Dali's words, the Fourth Raikage's face darkened. "So you're threatening us?"
"Yes."
Uchiha Dali nodded with complete seriousness.
This caught the Fourth Raikage completely off guard. He had never met anyone who spoke so directly to his face—especially someone this overwhelmingly powerful, an opponent utterly impossible to defeat.
For a moment, the Fourth Raikage was at a loss for words.
Killer Bee, standing to the side, also didn't know what to say.
"If we refuse, are you saying you'll destroy the entire Land of Lightning?"
After a brief silence, Killer Bee cautiously asked.
He wasn't entirely sure if that was what Uchiha Dali meant.
But if it was, he figured the man was boasting—at least a little.
The Land of Lightning wasn't some tiny nation. How could anyone possibly destroy it so easily?
Looking across the whole world, he had never seen a single ninja with that kind of ability.
"I need to correct you on that."
Uchiha Dali turned to look at Killer Bee. "What I said just now was that I wouldn't mind erasing the Land of Lightning from the map of the ninja world."
"So basically, you're threatening to destroy the Land of Lightning!"
The Fourth Raikage's voice was full of suppressed fury as he pressed the question.
Killer Bee also fixed his eyes on him, his expression serious.
Seeing that the two of them still didn't quite grasp his point, Uchiha Dali simply pulled out a map.
It was a detailed map of the entire ninja world drawn by Konoha before the war.
Every ninja participating in the war had been given one.
Originally, Uchiha Dali had no real use for it, but even though the Third Great Ninja War was long over, he still carried it with him.
Completely straight-faced, Uchiha Dali unfolded the map in front of the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee.
Then, from who-knows-where, he produced a pen and began crossing out every mention of "Land of Lightning," "Hidden Cloud Village," and so on.
After that, he shaded over the entire territory belonging to the Land of Lightning.
"See? That's what I mean."
"Erased from the map."
He tossed the pen aside, clapped his hands clean, and looked back up at the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee.
The two were left speechless.
Of course, they didn't literally think he meant only this.
A moment ago, they weren't sure.
Now they were certain—Uchiha Dali's real meaning was to erase the Land of Lightning from reality itself, in the physical sense.
But… could he really do it?
Just like Killer Bee, the Fourth Raikage's heart was filled with doubt.
Still—doubt was doubt, reality was reality.
He had no choice in the matter now.
He wasn't just representing the Hidden Cloud Village, nor was he only responsible for its people.
He had to consider the interests of the entire Land of Lightning.
If he refused Uchiha Dali's demand now, it was simple enough—a single sentence would do.
But what would be the consequences?
If this terrifying man really acted and launched a war of annihilation against the Land of Lightning, he would be powerless to stop him.
Even if the land itself remained, the people who had lived here for generations would likely face complete destruction…
At that thought, the Fourth Raikage's tightly clenched fist loosened.
Killer Bee immediately noticed the small movement.
He had been worried that his hot-tempered elder brother would stubbornly refuse to yield and insist on fighting this man to the bitter end.
Seeing the Raikage's fist relax, Killer Bee felt at least a little relieved.
But he said nothing.
His elder brother was the Fourth Raikage—the one who held the authority to decide.
Without his word, Killer Bee could not speak for anyone.
Just as the Raikage was still hesitating, several figures suddenly appeared beside Uchiha Dali.
"They still haven't decided?"
Uzumaki Nagato was the first to speak, his tone casual. Since it was his first time appearing before the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee, he didn't attract much attention.
Konan, Orochimaru, and Uchiha Obito were in a similar situation.
Yahiko, however, was different.
As the true body of the Deva Path Pain, Yahiko's reappearance immediately made the two brothers' faces darken.
After all, they had truly fought against the former "Deva Path Pain" and had experienced firsthand what overwhelming power felt like.
"Big bro, that masked guy… he's one of Akatsuki too…"
Killer Bee quickly recounted to the Raikage what had happened deep within the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
The Cloud Village powerhouse face grew even more grim.
One Yahiko had already been more than the two of them could handle, yet now, behind Uchiha Dali stood six members of Akatsuki.
Aside from the white humanoid, the other five all radiated powerful auras.
In particular—the red-haired man, the short orange-haired man, the masked man, and Konoha's legendary Sannin, Orochimaru.
These people's strength far exceeded that of an average elite jonin.
Even if Uchiha Dali stood aside and merely watched, their chances of winning were practically zero.
"Once the Land of Lightning becomes part of the greater family, you'll still be the leader of this region."
Seeing the Raikage's wavering expression, Uchiha Dali reminded him.
Hearing this, the Raikage finally relaxed the fist of his left hand as well.
"A unified ninja world… whether this golden age you speak of will truly be as beautiful as you claim—I suppose I'll see for myself."
The Fourth Raikage spoke with resignation.
"You really are a man who knows the times, Lord Fourth Raikage. I apologize for my earlier prejudice against your outward appearance."
Uchiha Dali's lips curved upward as he extended his hand. The Raikage stepped forward and clasped it naturally.
That handshake marked the moment when the entire ninja world began moving toward a new era.
An entirely new age of peace was on the horizon.
"But… have you already brought the Land of Iron under your control as well?"
Killer Bee suddenly asked.
The ninja world was not inhabited solely by ninja. There were also ordinary people and special groups similar to ninja. These groups formed nations of varying sizes, akin to the ninja villages.
The Land of Iron was one of the most representative among them.
From its leader down to its lowest soldiers, all were samurai. Though they were samurai, the elite among them possessed fighting strength no less than that of ninja.
While the Land of Iron had maintained neutrality throughout the great ninja wars, their stance was never something other nations could ignore.
That was why Killer Bee had asked the question.
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